The Blame Game
by uniquelyjas
Summary: What will happen to Jon and Kate's budding romance when one of her students breaks the law, seriously injuring a fellow CHP officer? (Jon and Kate #4)


**The Blame Game**

As soon as Jon Baker had dried the last plate, he joined Kate Williams on his couch to watch the sunset. He casually draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She wore her hair down tonight and it smelled like peaches. He inhaled deeply.

"So, what did you think about supper?" he asked.

"It was fine," she replied absently, gazing out the window.

 _Fine_? He had spent most of the afternoon preparing the meal including candlelight, wine, and romantic background music and the best she could do was _fine_? Come to think of it, she had been rather quiet and withdrawn all evening.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" Jon asked.

Kate grimaced. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah. At least to me. What's goin' on?"

Kate sighed and was silent for so long Jon thought she wasn't going to answer his question when she suddenly spoke up. "It's my remedial Senior English class. No matter what I try, I can't motivate them. I'm lucky if half of them show up on any given day and most are in danger of not graduating if they don't at least hand in some assignments. Can you believe I've actually considered asking Ponch to come in and talk to them?"

"Kinda like a pep talk?"

"Something like that," she shrugged.

The couple sat in silence before Jon had an idea. "Hey, do you think you could arrange a field trip and bring them down to Central? We do school tours all the time."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," she replied thoughtfully. "At least it would be a break in their routine."

Early the next morning, Jon and Kate sat across from Sergeant Getraer as the senior officer mulled over their request.

"I suppose I could spare an officer for an hour or two to show them around and answer any questions they may have. Grossman's usually game for those types of assignments."

Kate shot Jon a concerned look.

"Uh, Sarge, Kate's class is kinda…unique. I'm not sure Grossie's the best man for the job."

"Okay then, how about Bonnie?"

This time Kate's face showed pure panic.

"Actually, I was kinda hoping we could have Ponch do it," Jon confessed.

"Frank?! You want one of my least responsible officers influencing young minds? Besides, you know how much he hates giving tours."

"I understand, Sarge, but I think Ponch could really relate to these particular kids."

"Well…if you're sure that's what you want I'll talk to him about it," Getraer conceded.

"Thanks, Sarge!

"Thank you, Sergeant Getraer. I really appreciate your assistance and flexibility," Kate replied politely.

XXXXX

A week later, Kate stood outside the bus with her attendance book in hand, checking off the name of each student as they climbed into the vehicle. Although her pupils looked as if they were headed to a mass execution, she could hardly contain her excitement. Ten of her thirteen charges had shown up and the three that were missing were probably in juvie.

A short while later the bus pulled up to the front door of the Central Division of the California Highway Patrol. Eight males and two females reluctantly climbed down. It was all Kate could do to keep from lecturing them on proper behavior, respect and overall attitude, but she bit her tongue. It would probably fall on deaf ears anyway. She'd leave it up to Ponch to get the students positively engaged. Or was she overestimating him?

Upon entering the main lobby, Kate quickly spied the officer in question. He was standing up straight and tall, wearing a huge smile that showed off his pearly whites to perfection. That was, until he saw the group of teens that were with her. She saw the moment his shoulders fell and his lips came together and began a downward turn into a frown. She really couldn't blame him for his reaction. He obviously wasn't expecting a troop of sullen high schoolers sporting long hair, the blacker the better, T-shirts featuring images of hard-rock bands, belts and chokers studded with spikes, all topped off with leather jackets and combat boots.

Kate pasted on her best smile and looked imploringly at Ponch who thankfully gathered his professionalism and launched into the introductory part of the tour. Frank led them through different parts of the station before depositing them in the briefing room. Once the kids were seated, he grabbed Kate's arm and led her out into the corridor, closing the door behind him.

"Why didn't you warn me you were bringing a bunch of gang-banging ax murderers here?!" he hissed. "These are the kinds of kids we arrest, not play show-and-tell with!"

"Way to keep an open mind, Ponch," Kate replied sarcastically. "They're really good kids at heart and underneath it all, I think you can relate to a lot of their experiences."

"Maybe back in the day, but not now," he hedged. "Besides, they look like they're gonna jump me any minute. I'm done here. Get someone else!"

"But Ponch…!"

Just then the officer Kate recognized as Baricza strolled past them in the hall.

"Bear! Hey, can you do me a favor?" Ponch called.

"I guess. What is it?" the tall, handsome man replied.

"Can you take over that tour the Sarge assigned me to? I'm kinda not feelin' too well."

"Yeah, sure," Bear replied with a shrug as Ponch disappeared before his friend could have second thoughts.

"They're in the briefing room," Kate told him and held her breath as she watched him cross the threshold. Her heart dropped as his friendly smile faded. Why did people judge her kids so quickly? All they needed was an adult willing to give them a chance.

The following day Kate stood in front of her remedial English class and took attendance. Only six students. None of the absentees were a surprise except for Jake Conrad. Though he never fully participated in class, Kate could count on him to at least show up. She made a mental note to follow up with his parent or guardian later that evening.

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Jake Conrad ambled down the sidewalk toward his high school. His dark brown hair stood out in all directions and his wardrobe garnered more than a few stares from other pedestrians but he didn't care. The only reason he made this interminable walk everyday was to keep his mom off his case. About the only thing he had going for him was his good attendance record. That might be enough to get the principal to allow him to graduate despite his poor academic performance. Lost in his dark thoughts, he barely noticed when Derrick Olson called his name and pulled his tricked out Camaro up next to him.

"Hey Jakie-boy! Need a lift!" the taller, much more muscular teen asked.

"I'm good," Jake replied curtly.

"C'mon Jakie, get in. We could have some fun."

Jake contemplated Derrick's offer. So far this year he had only missed two days of school due to being really and truly sick. He still had some time coming before it showed up as a black mark on his record. And he sure could use a day away from that prison.

"All right, I guess," he mumbled as he slipped into the passenger seat.

Derrick hit the accelerator and made an illegal U-turn.

"Where're we goin'?" Jake asked.

"Anywhere we want!" Derrick crowed. "But first we have to make a stop."

Derrick steered the Camaro into the parking lot of a small convenience store.

"What're we doin' here?"

"Just pickin' up a few things. C'mon!"

Jake reluctantly got out of the car, guilt weighing heavier upon his shoulders with every step. He knew he should be in class, but even more importantly, he knew he shouldn't be with Derrick who was the biggest trouble maker in the school. Jake sighed as he walked through the door Derrick had entered ahead of him. Suddenly he was paralyzed and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Derrick was pointing a handgun at the clerk behind the counter.

"C'mon, old man! I haven't got all day!" Derrick yelled as the man began handing over the small amount of cash he had in the register. "And don't forget the booze and smokes!"

Jake turned and was about to run when Derrick addressed him.

"Anything you want, Jakie-boy? Just ask _grandpa_ here and he'll get it for ya!"

Jake just shook his head and stood stock still as Derrick waved his gun at the clerk, indicating that he was in a hurry. His breath hitched when he heard the wail of sirens in the distance but rapidly approaching. The clerk must have triggered a silent alarm.

"I'll take it from here!" Derrick scowled as he leaped over the counter, shoved the old man to the ground, grabbed a six-pack of beer, a carton of cigarettes, and all the cash he could stuff in his pockets before climbing back to the other side and heading toward the door with Jake in tow. They had almost made it to the car when a squad from the Highway Patrol screamed into the lot and skidded to a stop.

The door of the sedan flew open and a tall, uniformed officer emerged, weapon in hand, ordering them to freeze. Jake did what he was told, but Derrick suddenly dropped the stolen items and, with gun raised, turned toward the officer and fired. Jake watched as the bullet hit the lawman's upper arm and propelled him backwards. Derrick jumped into the Camaro and Jake blindly followed. The car roared to life, tires squealing as its driver pushed the accelerator to the floor. Jake looked up only to find that Derrick was headed straight for the officer who was struggling to gain his feet. Before Jake could say anything, he heard a sickening thud and the car rocked as the officer slammed into the windshield and then bounced off the hood and onto the asphalt.

"That'll take care of that stupid cop!" Derrick declared with glee.

As they drove away from the crime scene, Jake couldn't get the cop's face out of his mind. He had met him just the day before.

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Jon and Ponch skidded to a stop just in time to see Bear hit the ground as the Camaro took flight. With an unspoken understanding from years of working together, Jon quickly hopped off his motor to tend to the downed officer while Ponch revved his engine and went after the offending sports car as he called for backup for him and his partner.

The Camaro bobbed and weaved around the morning traffic with Ponch in hot pursuit. With every turn he radioed in the new direction. After several minutes, Bonnie responded with her coordinates and a trap was laid. Ponch chased the car into a narrow alley just as Bonnie pulled her cruiser in front of the exit. With nowhere to go, the Camaro screeched to a halt.

"Get out of the car with your hands up!" Bonnie commanded, weapon drawn and using her own car door as a shield.

No response.

"You heard her!" Ponch called, his hand hovering over his holster. "Outta the car and put your hands on the roof!"

Ponch's heart thudded loudly in his chest as, ever so slowly, two teenage boys emerged from either side of the car. Bonnie ran forward and quickly secured the passenger as Ponch divested the driver of his weapon and cuffed him, making the metal bracelets a bit tighter than usual.

"Hey! Don't I know you?!" Ponch asked as his gaze connected with the kid Bonnie had pinned across from him.

The boy lowered his gaze but said nothing.

"Yeah, now I remember," Ponch said, his voice low and threatening as he led his own prisoner around the front of the car. "You're one of the kids that toured the station yesterday!"

The smaller teen kept his head down as the officers escorted him and his buddy to the backseat of Bonnie's patrol car. By now, several CHP as well as LAPD units had arrived and the area was humming with activity.

"I'm goin' back to the store to see how Jon and Bear are doing," Ponch told Bonnie quietly.

Ponch arrived back at the convenience store in time to see the ambulance pull away, sirens screaming.

"How is he?" Ponch asked his partner.

"Took a bullet to the shoulder and lost consciousness when the car hit him. Other than that we won't really know until he gets to the hospital," Jon replied, shaking his head sadly. "Did you get the perps?"

"Yeah. And get this! One of 'em is in the class your _girlfriend_ brought in for their little field trip! I told her they were trouble, but she wouldn't listen to me!" he spat. "Now look what happened!"

"Hey Ponch, settle down, will ya? Kate can't control what her students do outside of her classroom. You know that!"

"Well, maybe when they're _in_ her classroom she could teach them about not breaking the law and mowing down officers!"

"Hey you two," Sergeant Getraer interrupted. "We've got things covered here. LAPD's interviewing the store owner as we speak so, since you were first on the scene, why don't you go back to headquarters and start on the paperwork."

"What's gonna happen to those two kids?" Jon asked.

"The driver is being taken downtown for processing. Bonnie's taking the passenger back to Central until his mom can pick him up."

"What?!" Ponch cried. "You're letting him go?!"

Getraer sighed. "He's still a minor and there's no hard evidence against him."

"But he was in the car that hit Bear!"

"Yes, Frank. He was _in_ the car, not driving it. Bonnie'll get his statement and he'll have his day in court, but that's all we can do right now."

"Don't bet on it," Ponch mumbled as he turned on his heel and headed toward his motor as Jon hurried to keep up.

"C'mon man!" he admonished his partner. "Get your head on straight. You can't change what happened."

"That's the problem," Ponch muttered as he shoved his helmet on his head and took off on his motor leaving Jon in his wake.

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Kate pulled into her parking space in the large structure next to her condo. It had been a hectic day and she was relieved to see that both Jon's and Trish's assigned slots were empty. She really did not feel like interacting with other human beings right now.

Unlocking her apartment door, she tossed her briefcase on the floor next to the couch and slipped out of her heels. The light on the answering machine was blinking and her first thought was to ignore it and listen to the message later. But what if the call was important? She rolled her eyes at her inability to leave a phone call alone and pressed the button to rewind and play the tape.

"Hi Kate, it's Jon." She smiled at the sound of his voice. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to break our date for tonight." Thank goodness! She could use a quiet night alone. "Bear was injured responding to a robbery today so Ponch and I and the others will be at the hospital…" Jon's voice continued but Kate tuned out whatever else he had to say. She wondered how badly the officer was hurt, and she shuddered to realize that it could easily be Jon lying in a hospital bed right now. Instinct told her to grab her purse and go to Jon and his friends, but then her eyes lit upon the bulging briefcase. There were papers to be graded, lesson plans to be made, and phone calls to make. Well, perhaps the calls could wait until tomorrow. She padded into her bedroom, changed into a worn pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, grabbed her briefcase and headed up to Jon's apartment. She wanted to be there for him when he got home. Not hungry, but knowing they would both have to eat, she called to have a pizza delivered. If nothing else, they could re-heat it later. Then she opened her grade book and got to work.

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Jon yawned as he slid the key into the lock and walked into his apartment. It was almost midnight. When visiting hours had ended, he and his fellow officers had gone to a local diner on the pretense of having a late supper. In reality, no one was ready to go home and be alone with their thoughts just yet. Stifling another yawn, he noticed his living room awash in soft lamplight and the smell of pepperoni wafting through the air. He glanced toward the couch where a large blue rumpled blanket began to move before a pretty brunette head popped out from underneath.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Jon apologized. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"How is he?" Kate asked cutting straight to the chase. She was sitting up now with the blanket draped across her lap. Jon sighed and sat down next to her as she leaned into him.

"Not great," his voice was raspy with emotion and exhaustion. "He's still unconscious."

"What happened?"

"He was responding to a silent alarm at a convenience store. According to what the clerk told LAPD, two teenage boys robbed him. One pulled a gun while the other hung back. They bolted when they heard the siren. Bear pulled his weapon on them before they could get to their car, but one of them was armed and fired first. Got Bear in the shoulder. Then they got in the car and hit him dead on. Aside from the bullet wound he has a pretty severe concussion along with several broken ribs and a broken arm."

"How far away was back-up?"

Jon couldn't help but smile. Kate was thinking more and more like a cop every day. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before answering her question.

"Ponch and I pulled up just in time to see Bear hit the ground. I stayed with him and Ponch took off after the perps. He and Bonnie cornered them in an alley and arrested him."

Kate nestled closer to him, put her head on his shoulder, and laid her hand on his chest.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"There's more," Jon said softly, wanting to shield her from the violent events of the day but knowing she needed to hear the whole story.

"Ponch recognized one of the robbers as a kid from the field trip yesterday. Jake Conrad."

"No way!" Kate countered firmly as she jerked out of Jon's grasp. "Jake's a decent kid! He wouldn't get mixed up in something like that!"

"I'm sorry, Kate, but it's the truth," Jon told her gently. "He wasn't in school today, was he?"

Kate slowly shook her head. "I thought it was unusual. He has the best attendance out of all my students. I was gonna call his mom after school but never got around to it."

"If it's any consolation, the clerk said Jake was just a bystander during the robbery and a passenger in the car that hit Bear. He's been released to his mother."

"Who was the other kid?"

"His name's Derrick Olson."

Kate screwed her face up in a thoughtful expression before scrambling off the couch and grabbing her grade book.

"I knew that name sounded familiar!" she exclaimed. "He's supposed to be in class with Jake, but I haven't seen him once since I took over. In fact, looking back, it appears he's never set foot in class this entire year."

"That's good to know," Jon replied. "I'll add it to the report."

"Will you be going up to the hospital again after work tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Jon sighed. He wasn't looking forward to the visit, but CHP officers took care of their own and Baricza was more than a fellow cop, he was a friend.

"Could I come along?" Kate asked hesitantly.

Jon sucked in a breath. "Um, I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"Oh," Kate frowned and Jon's heart broke just a little knowing the explanation he needed to give her.

"Ya see," he began warily. "Ponch is really upset and he sorta blames you since Jake is in your class and all."

"What?!" she exclaimed, her frown quickly replaced with a scowl. "That's ridiculous!"

"I know," Jon agreed. "But this is a tough time for all of us. He just needs some time and space to cool off."

"What about the others?" Kate asked meekly, as if afraid of the answer.

"They're upset, but not at you."

An awkward silence descended upon the room before Kate excused herself and headed back to her cousin's apartment. Jon remained on the couch long after she had left allowing the hurt to roll through him. Hurt for his friend. Hurt for his partner. And hurt for the woman he was growing to love.

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The following morning Kate walked into her classroom with a heavy heart only to find Jake already seated at his desk looking as sullen and exhausted as she felt. Not quite knowing how to approach the young man, she tried to act as casual as possible.

"I missed you yesterday," she told him. "Weren't you feeling well?"

Her answer was a silent shrug.

"Your mom must have been pretty busy 'cause she forgot to call in your absence."

Another shrug.

Kate looked at the clock on the wall. It would be a good ten minutes before any of her other students arrived. Tired of feigning ignorance, she decided to lay it all on the line.

"Look, I know what happened yesterday," she said a low voice.

"Nothin' happened. I was sick." Jake mumbled.

Taking a deep breath, Kate tried again. "I know you were with Derrick Lowe and I know what you did."

"I didn't do nothin'!" he hissed as he jumped out of his seat and rounded on her.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" she encouraged, trying desperately to keep her composure. She half expected Jake to bolt from the room or even take a swing at her, yet she remained impassive.

"I really didn't do nothin'," he mumbled, folding himself back into his seat. "But nobody believes me! Not the cops, not even my mom!"

Kate could see tears beginning to well in his eyes. "I'll believe you," she promised. Her heartfelt response was all that was needed to get Jake talking.

"I was walking to school yesterday morning when Derrick pulled up. He offered me a ride and then said I should just skip class. My attendance has been good so I figured one day off wouldn't really matter. I know he's bad news, but he promised we could do anything we wanted, but he had to make a stop first."

"And that 'stop' was the convenience store?" Kate asked.

Jake nodded his head. "I didn't know he was gonna rob the place! When I saw what he was doing I freaked out and couldn't move…I couldn't stop him! We ran when we heard the sirens coming. When he hit that officer…I recognized him from our field trip, but I didn't know what to do! He's not gonna die, is he?" By now, tears were streaming down the teens face, but Kate owed him the truth.

"He's not gonna die," she consoled him, "But he did get injured pretty badly."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Kate looked up to find the school secretary standing there.

"Excuse me, Ms. Williams, but you have a phone call. An Officer Jon Baker?"

Jake's eyes turned to Kate in panic. "It's okay, he's a friend," she reassured him.

Kate took a deep breath as she lifted the receiver. Jon wouldn't call her at work unless it was something important.

"Hello?"

"Hi Kate, we just got out of briefing and Sarge told us that Bear regained consciousness during the night, so the worst is over. I thought you'd want to know."

She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Oh, that's a relief! And thanks for thinking of me."

"No sweat. I'm always thinking of you," Jon replied in a low voice that made her blush.

Before she could respond, the shrill ring of the school bell indicated the start of the day. She bid Jon a hasty good-bye and hurried back to her room where a couple of her students had already strolled in. She motioned for Jake to join her at her desk.

"I have some good news," she smiled. "Officer Baricza is conscious. He's gonna be okay."

The fear and guilt that had marred the young man's face lifted slightly.

"Do you think I could go see him? To apologize?" he asked hesitantly.

Kate's stomach roiled as she recalled what Jon had said about Ponch's reaction. If seeing her was going to upset him, she could only imagine how he'd feel about Jake showing up.

"It would probably be better if you wait until he's out of the hospital," she advised. But Jake adamantly shook his head.

"No, I have to do it now," he insisted.

Against her better judgement, Kate contacted Mrs. Conrad and received permission to take Jake up to the hospital with her after school. Hopefully they could conduct their visit before the CHP officers began arriving.

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"Can't you hurry it up?" Ponch complained around a mouthful of Ding Dong as he paced in the report room.

Jon looked up from the form he was filling out. "I'm writing as fast as I can, Ponch. What's the rush?"

"I'm just anxious to see Bear," his partner replied with a wide smile.

"And I suppose you changed into your best sport coat for him, too?" Jon grinned wryly.

"Well…um…you remember that blonde nurse in Admitting?"

"No."

"Well, she gave me her number and I'm taking her to dinner tonight."

Jon looked up and just shook his head at Ponch before filing his report and heading to the locker room to change clothes as well.

XXXXX

Thirty minutes later, Ponch strutted down the hospital corridor with Jon following behind. He stopped abruptly upon entering Bear's room, causing his partner to bump into him.

"Hey, man!" Jon complained, regaining his balance and backing away.

"What's _she_ doin' here?" Ponch demanded.

Jon looked over his partner's shoulder to find Kate standing next to Bear's bed, her face in profile.

"She probably just wanted to see how he's doing," Jon replied lightly.

Upon hearing his voice, Kate turned to reveal a teenager standing next to her talking with Baricza.

"How dare you bring that punk in here!" Ponch roared as he barreled into the room, easily resisting his partner's restraining arm.

"Ponch, it's okay," Bear responded weakly but with a smile.

"No, it's not!" Ponch yelled. "He tried to kill you!"

Jon was just about to step forward and intervene when a sturdy, middle-aged nurse entered the room.

"Sir, if you cannot control your outbursts I'm afraid you'll have to leave. Our patients need their rest," she stated in a no-nonsense manner.

Jon watched as Kate took her student by the shoulders and turned him around.

"That's okay, we were just leaving," she said quietly, her gaze pinned to the floor.

As she led Jake out the door, Jon put out an arm to stop her, but she shook him off.

"Not now, Jon. Please," was all she said before propelling her charge down the corridor to the bank of elevators.

He watched them until they disappeared and then returned his attention to his fellow officers who were engaged in an animated discussion.

"It's not his fault," Bear told Ponch.

"How can you say that?! You're lying here all broken up because of him!"

"He wasn't the one driving the car," Bear explained evenly. "He wasn't the one who hit me."

"But he was still _there_!"

"C'mon Ponch, let it go," Jon pleaded, but his words only earned him a dark glare from his partner.

"Listen Ponch," Bear said, "the last thing I remember after I got hit was the look on the kid's face. He was scared. Really scared. I saw it in his eyes. If anything, this is _my_ fault."

Stunned, Jon remained silent and, surprisingly, so did Ponch as they awaited further explanation.

"I haven't had a decent bust in several weeks. I guess I was getting kinda antsy. When that call came in I wanted it so bad. Bad enough that I let my adrenaline override procedure. I knew you guys were right behind me and I should have waited. I also shouldn't have jumped out of the cruiser like I did. I made myself an easy target. If anyone should be apologizing it should be me."

Jon watched as Ponch processed everything Bear had just told them. He knew the instant his partner regretted his harsh words and angry response.

"I guess I have some apologizing to do, too," Ponch mumbled. "I was pretty mean to Kate and that kid. I really stepped out of line."

"Hey Ponch," Jon said, glancing at his watch. "It's five o'clock. Don't you have a dinner date?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I completely forgot! Thanks for reminding me partner!" he said to Jon before turning back to Bear. "It's been great seeing ya, but I gotta run," he said, practically tripping over his own feet in his rush to leave the room. "I'll see ya tomorrow, okay?" And with that he was gone, leaving his two friends laughing after him.

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Two days later, when Kate got home from work, she almost stepped on an envelope that someone had slipped underneath the apartment door. It was small and white with her first name scrawled on the front. Dropping her purse and briefcase she picked it up and pulled out the note inside.

 _Dinner tonight? My place?_

She knew it could only be from Jon, the man she'd been avoiding since their run-in at the hospital. She knew Jon didn't harbor any ill feelings toward her, but she didn't want to cause a rift between him and his friends. But she _had_ missed him, and she hated cooking just for herself anyway since Trish was still working.

After pulling her hair out of its customary ponytail and freshening her make-up, she headed upstairs to Jon's apartment. No sooner had she knocked on the door than he answered it, smiling warmly.

"Hey, thanks for coming," he greeted her.

"Thanks for inviting me," she smiled in return.

"Make yourself at home," he said, opening the door wider.

She walked in to find the small dining table set with elegant china and wine glasses. Two candles glowed in the center.

"Um, these are for you."

Kate turned to find Jon standing behind her holding a breathtaking bouquet of yellow roses.

"Oh, Jon, you shouldn't have!" she exclaimed, taking the flowers and inhaling their heady scent.

"Well, actually, I didn't," he said with a strangled laugh. "They're from Ponch."

She looked up at him warily. "Ponch?"

"Yeah, it's his way of apologizing for the way he treated you and the things he said about you and your students."

"Aw, that was sweet of him," she cooed, searching Jon's cabinets for a vase while he poured the wine to go with their dinner. "How's Bear?" she asked once they were both settled at the table, a scrumptious-looking meal in front of them.

"He's doing really well," Jon said with a smile. "He's being released from the hospital tomorrow. He can't go on patrol until his arm heals, but he'll return to light duty when he feels up to it."

"That's good news," Kate grinned before her lips tugged down into a frown.

Jon reached across the table to take her hand.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I've been thinking. Now that I have a permanent teaching position, I'll probably always have some _challenging_ students in my class. I'd hate to have something like this happen again. I don't ever want me or my job to come between you and your friends. Maybe we should—"

"Maybe we should _nothing_ ," Jon said firmly, idly threading his fingers through hers. "This was a good learning experience for all of us so if there is a 'next time', hopefully we'll all handle it better."

"And if we don't?"

"Then we'll learn from _that!_ " he insisted, rising from the table. Their hands still intertwined, he gently pulled her up out of her chair. Wrapping his arms around her he leaned down so that their foreheads touched. "I want to make this work, Kate. I want to make _us_ work."

Stunned by his declaration, she remained still as he lowered his lips to hers and sealed his vow with a knee-weakening kiss.


End file.
